Womb - or tomb? (Part 3).

In this third of four posts on the sensitive, emotional, but topical subject of abortion, we look at the beginning of life - a unique and individual life. This particular post was first published on August 28th, 2014. It has not been edited.

Life never begins!  It is only transmitted.  Since the creation of the first man, when Almighty God "... breathed into his nostrils the breath of life ..." (Gen.2:7), living beings come only from other living beings.  This is a simple fact, recognised by eminent biologists, but ignored by the so-called 'pro-choice' brigade.

The formation of a new human being is contained in the male sperm, and the female egg, and is produced through the fusion of these two gametes (to use a medical, scientific, term!).  What happens is that when the egg is fertilised by the sperm, a new cell (zygote) is produced with a genetic code that is not only distinct from those of the gametes whose fusion brought it into being, but is also totally unique!

The journey of this zygote takes it down the Fallopian tubes of the still-unaware mother, towards the uterus.  Already, the process of cell multiplication (mitosis) is well under way. However, after that first instant of conception, when the egg was fertilised, there is no stage at all at which this embryonic human being receives any new, or essential, genetic contribution in order for it to be what it is!  There can be no doubt about it, from a scientific, biological, perspective - from the moment of fertilisation, we already have a new human life.  This is most definitely not merely a part of the body of the mother.  It is most certainly not some kind of alien parasite.  As Dr Jerome Lejeune, the renowned French geneticist, and the discoverer of the cause of Down's Syndrome (which condition, according to Richard Dawkins, ought to lead to an abortion!) summarised the situation succinctly when he wrote: "As soon as he has been conceived, a man is a man."

Again, I would emphasise that this new human being is distinct from its mother.  In biological, and genetic, terms, it is not the mother who transforms her cells into the cells of a new being.  It is the embryo itself that undertakes, in a veritable explosion of vitality, this 'self-construction' within the habitat of the womb. 

How regretful that, for so many millions, that very womb has become, and becomes, a temporary tomb!

The end of life.

Quite a number of recent posts have been on the topic of abortion - the deliberate killing of an unborn human being.  This evening, I want to go to the other end of the Journey of Life spectrum, and look at another emotive issue that is currently very topical - assisted dying (aka assisted suicide/euthanasia).

"What's in a name? that which we call a rose by any other name would smell as sweet;" states Shakespeare's heroine figure in his play Romeo and Juliet.   So, whatever name is given, and has been given, over recent decades, the common denominator, in this situation, is the deliberate taking of a fully adult life, for whatever reason.  By the way, I do not propose going into a discussion on etymology, especially with regard to the strict definition of euthanasia (from the Greek!).

Yesterday, the UK House of Lords debated the Bill that has been brought forward by Lord Charlie Falconer.   This Bill seeks to “enable competent adults who are terminally ill to be provided at their request with specified assistance to end their own life”.   Of course, there have been a number of attempts to legislate in favour of the right to end one's own life in recent years - at least one previous one also being in the name of Charlie Falconer.   Thankfully, each one has been defeated, but the assisted suicide and/or euthanasia supporters keep coming back with the sort of determination that one often wishes was seen in other areas of politics!

Often, some recent high-profile case, in which there has been a lot of public sympathy for the person who wishes to end his/her own life, is used by the 'suicide lobby' (to use a convenient shorthand expression!).  One that may well have been raised in the House of Lords, yesterday, is that of Brittany Maynard, the young woman from the USoA who travelled from her home state of California, to the state of Oregon, in order to legally kill herself!   However, emotional cases do not lead to good legislation!   Thankfully, for every Brittany, there are hundreds of others who do not take the 'easy' way out!  There were many who shared their stories on social media, but I didn't notice their stories receiving the same publicity in the main-stream media!

However, away from the individual cases.  What about the general picture?  It is interesting that all of the professional medical bodies are opposed to the sort of legislation that Charlie Falconer and, in the Scottish Parliament, Patrick Harvie, wish to see enacted.   However, that is not really surprising! Do assisted suicide supporters really expect doctors and nurses to be able to assist the suicide of one patient, then go on to care for a similar patient who wants to live, without this having an effect on their ethics or their empathy? Do they realise that this reduces the second patient’s will-to-live request to a mere personal whim—perhaps, ultimately, one that society will see as selfish and too costly? How does this serve optimal health care, let alone the integrity of doctors and nurses who have to face, and live with, the fact that they helped other human beings kill themselves?

Indeed, a report in The Telegraph, on Thursday, stated that "One in 10 British people believe elderly people should be offered a “reward” if they opt for assisted suicide, new polling suggests."  Now, apart from the fact that, if the 'reward' is only to be offered posthumously, it is going to be of little satisfaction to the recipient, why should anyone wish to be rewarded in this way?  By the way, the suggested 'reward'  was "a martini and a medal"!  I'm teetotal; and I would prefer to wear a medal on my own chest - while standing up!   The report continued: "Anti-euthanasia campaigners said the finding was “chilling” evidence of deep-seated prejudice towards older people from a small but significant minority of the population."   Chilling, indeed.

What is needed is more, and improved, palliative care.  The Hospice movement does a wonderful job - I know, I have visited enough of their establishments! - but it is limited in its scope because, as a charity, it depends on the donations of supporters.  As I type, I am thinking just how far the latest demand from the EU - £1.7 billion - would go to providing that desired level of care.  However, all that will happen is that it will be wasted on an already corrupt and bloated administration!

The debate, yesterday, went on for longer than was expected, and there was no formal division.  However, it is reported that the majority of those who spoke did so in opposition to the Bill.  For this, at this stage, many of us are truly thankful.

Womb - or tomb (Part 3)

Life never begins!  It is only transmitted.  Since the creation of the first man, when Almighty God "... breathed into his nostrils the breath of life ..." (Gen.2:7), living beings come only from other living beings.  This is a simple fact, recognised by eminent biologists, but ignored by the so-called 'pro-choice' brigade.

The formation of a new human being is contained in the male sperm, and the female egg, and is produced through the fusion of these two gametes (to use a medical, scientific, term!).  What happens is that when the egg is fertilised by the sperm, a new cell (zygote) is produced with a genetic code that is not only distinct from those of the gametes whose fusion brought it into being, but is also totally unique!

The journey of this zygote takes it down the Fallopian tubes of the still-unaware mother, towards the uterus.  Already, the process of cell multiplication (mitosis) is well under way.  However, after that first instant of conception, when the egg was fertilised, there is no stage at all at which this embryonic human being receives any new, or essential, genetic contribution in order for it to be what it is!  There can be no doubt about it, from a scientific, biological, perspective - from the moment of fertilisation, we already have a new human life.  This is most definitely not merely a part of the body of the mother.  It is most certainly not some kind of alien parasite.  As Dr Jerome Lejeune, the renowned French geneticist, and the discoverer of the cause of Down's Syndrome (which condition, according to Richard Dawkins, ought to lead to an abortion!) summarised the situation succinctly when he wrote: "As soon as he has been conceived, a man is a man."

Again, I would emphasise that this new human being is distinct from its mother.  In biological, and genetic, terms, it is not the mother who transforms her cells into the cells of a new being.  It is the embryo itself that undertakes, in a veritable explosion of vitality, this 'self-construction' within the habitat of the womb.

How regretful that, for so many millions, that very womb has become, and becomes, a temporary tomb!

Rules!

Earlier, I came across some 'rules', allegedly given by Bill Gates (of Microsoft fame) to a class of school pupils. However, a check on Snopes.com, suggested that this is untrue - and also provides an additional three.  The full fourteen are here reproduced.   They make interesting reading! (I have edited the 'Americanisms'!)

Rule No. 1:   Life is not fair. Get used to it. The average teenager uses the phrase "It's not fair" 8.6 times a day. You got it from your parents, who said it so often you decided they must be the most idealistic generation ever. When they started hearing it from their own kids, they realised Rule No. 1. 

Rule No. 2:   The real world won't care as much about your self-esteem as much as your school does. It'll expect you to accomplish something before you feel good about yourself. This may come as a shock. Usually, when inflated self-esteem meets reality, kids complain that it's not fair. (See Rule No. 1) 

Rule No. 3:   Sorry, you won't make £40,000 a year right out of high school. And you won't be a vice president or have a car phone either. You may even have to wear a uniform that doesn't have a Gap label. 

Rule No. 4:   If you think your teacher is tough, wait 'til you get a boss. He doesn't have tenure, so he tends to be a bit edgier. When you screw up, he's not going to ask you how you feel about it. 

Rule No. 5:   Flipping burgers is not beneath your dignity. Your grandparents had a different word for burger flipping. They called it opportunity. They weren't embarrassed making minimum wage either. They would have been embarrassed to sit around talking about Kurt Cobain all weekend. 

Rule No. 6:   It's not your parents' fault. If you screw up, you are responsible. This is the flip side of "It's my life," and "You're not the boss of me," and other eloquent proclamations of your generation. When you turn 18, it's on your penny. Don't whine about it, or you'll sound like a baby boomer. 

Rule No. 7:   Before you were born your parents weren't as boring as they are now. They got that way paying your bills, cleaning up your room and listening to you tell them how idealistic you are. And by the way, before you save the rain forest from the blood-sucking parasites of your parents' generation, try delousing the wardrobe in your bedroom. 

Rule No. 8:   Your school may have done away with winners and losers. Life hasn't. In some schools, they'll give you as many times as you want to get the right answer. Failing grades have been abolished and Dux has been scrapped, lest anyone's feelings be hurt. Effort is as important as results. This, of course, bears not the slightest resemblance to anything in real life. (See Rule No. 1, Rule No. 2 and Rule No. 4.) 

Rule No. 9:   Life is not divided into terms, and you don't get summers off. Not even an Easter break. They expect you to show up every day. For eight hours. And you don't get a new life every 10 weeks. It just goes on and on. While we're at it, very few jobs are interested in fostering your self-expression or helping you find yourself. Fewer still lead to self-realisation. (See Rule No. 1 and Rule No. 2.) 

Rule No. 10:   Television is not real life. Your life is not a sitcom. Your problems will not all be solved in 30 minutes, minus time for commercials. In real life, people actually have to leave the coffee shop to go to jobs. Your friends will not be as perky or pliable as Jennifer Aniston. 

Rule No. 11:   Be nice to nerds. You may end up working for them. We all could.

Rule No. 12:   Smoking does not make you look cool. It makes you look moronic. Next time you're out, watch an 11-year-old with a butt in his mouth. That's what you look like to anyone over 20. Ditto for "expressing yourself" with purple hair and/or pierced body parts. 

Rule No. 13:   You are not immortal. (See Rule No. 12.) If you are under the impression that living fast, dying young and leaving a beautiful corpse is romantic, you obviously haven't seen one of your peers at room temperature lately. 

Rule No. 14:   Enjoy this while you can. Sure parents are a pain, school's a bother, and life is depressing. But someday you'll realise how wonderful it was to be a child. Maybe you should start now. You're welcome.

Hidden creatures - revealed!

Well done to those who managed to find all twelve creatures! :-)

Here is the solution:

1. The Bowling Club at the Green will do very well.                                (owl; bat; dove).

2. If Roger will go at once, it might do good.                                            (frog; goat; dog).

3. Are you as sure as I am that he noticed the sign at the entrance?      (ass; hen; gnat).

4. She came late, but I want you to be early.                                           (camel; ant; bee).

Keep checking the blog.  There isn't a puzzle every week, but there may well be something to encourage you to think of what, to some, is the greatest puzzle - life itself!

Thank you - to the Church (the Bride of Christ).

One of the sites to which I subscribe sends me regular video clips.  As with all such matters, some are worth watching, others are less so!  This one, however, I felt was not only worth watching, but also worth sharing.  I trust that many of those who visit this blog will be, likewise, touched in their own spirits.  A transcript should be posted tomorrow!

Sovereign Love

Today, in Motherwell, the funeral service took place for 6 year-old Caden Beggan, who died as the result of a particularly nasty and virulent disease.  His story has been well aired on Facebook, and in some Scottish newspapers, and may be read by doing a search on his name at  www.everyclick.com

Death is always sad, but it is especially so when it is the death of such a young child.  Only those who have undergone the experience can fully understand the pain experienced by the parents in such a situation.  However, for the disciple of Jesus, there is always hope even in the face of such a tragedy.  Was it, then mere coincidence that the following arrived in my Inbox, yesterday?


"Tomorrow morning," the surgeon began, "I'll open up your heart..." 

"You'll find Jesus there," the boy interrupted.

The surgeon looked up, annoyed. "I'll cut your heart open," he continued, "to see how much damage has been done..." 

"But when you open up my heart, you'll find Jesus in there."

The surgeon looked to the parents, who sat quietly. "When I see how much damage has been done, I'll sew your heart and chest back up and I'll plan what to do next."

"But you'll find Jesus in my heart. The Bible says He lives there. The hymns all say He lives there. You'll find Him in my heart."

The surgeon had had enough. "I'll tell you what I'll find in your heart. I'll find damaged muscle, low blood supply, and weakened vessels. And I'll find out if I can make you well."

"You'll find Jesus there too. He lives there."

The surgeon left. 

After the surgery, he sat in his office, recording his notes: "...damaged aorta, damaged pulmonary vein, widespread muscle degeneration. No hope for transplant, no hope for cure. Therapy: painkillers and bed-rest. Prognosis:" Here he paused. "death within one year."  He stopped the recorder, but there was more to be said. "Why?" he asked aloud. "Why did You do this? You've put him here; You've put him in this pain; and You've cursed him to an early death. Why?"

The Lord answered and said, "The boy, My lamb, was not meant for your flock for long, for he is a part of My flock, and will forever be. Here, in My flock, he will feel no pain, and will be comforted as you cannot imagine. His parents will one day join him here, and they will know peace, and My flock will continue to grow."

The surgeon's tears were hot, but his anger was hotter. "You created that boy, and You created that heart. He'll be dead in months. Why?"

The Lord answered, "The boy, My lamb, shall return to My flock, for he has done his duty: I did not put My lamb with your flock to lose him, but to retrieve another lost lamb."

The surgeon wept. 

Later, he sat beside the boy's bed; the boy's parents sat across from him.

The boy awoke and whispered, "Did you cut open my heart?" 

"Yes," said the surgeon. 

"What did you find?" asked the boy. 

"I found Jesus there," said the surgeon."
 
Caden Beggan has died, physically.  But could it be that, in the economy of Almighty God, that young life will prove to have been used to bring about spiritual life for not just one, but many of those who cared for him in hospital, or who followed his story online?  Only eternity will reveal the  answer to that question.  Meanwhile, we commend his grieving family to the God Who understands their pain, and Who shares with them in it.

Worth thinking about!

The following observations were written by an unknown author. Although I cannot give proper credit where it is due, nevertheless these timeless insights are worthy of our consideration. May I suggest that you read each thought and then, like a cow chewing its cud over and over, meditate on it and apply the idea to your personal circumstances:                                        

• "You cannot control the length of your life, but you can control your life’s width and depth.
• You cannot control the weather, but you can control the moral atmosphere that surrounds you.
• You cannot control the contour of your countenance, but you can control its expressions and what it communicates to others.
• You cannot control the other person’s opportunities, but you can make certain to take hold of the opportunities that come your way.
• You cannot control the larger incomes that some of your friends receive, but you can manage wisely your own modest earnings.
• You cannot control another individual’s annoying faults or habits, but you can see to it that you yourself do not develop or harbour tendencies that would become annoyances to others.
• You cannot control difficult times or rainy days, but you can put resources aside now that can carry you through times of adversity and need.
• You cannot control the distance that your head can rise above the ground, but you can control the height of the contents contained within your head.

So why worry about things you cannot control? Get busy controlling the things that depend upon you! Don't worry about circumstances you cannot change. Concentrate on attitudes you can!" (A.N.Onymous)

Finding the Way!

Well, I've finally joined the club!  After many years of total dependence, when travelling, on my "wife-nav" (i.e. my wife with a good old-fashioned road map on her lap), I have purchased a proper SatNav!  It was the experience of driving home last year, without aforementioned wife, from the eastern side of France, that finally convinced me that I should "take the plunge".  Having said that, we have already decided that we will have the old-fashioned back-up with us as well.  We've heard too many tales of people ending up in narrow country roads, unable to make a turn - not the sort of situation in which we want to find ourselves, in the middle of France, with twenty-seven feet of caravan hitched to the tow-bar!

So far, however, I am quite pleased with "Charmaine" (it's a female voice, and the make is Garmin, which rhymes with "charmin'", leading to the now designated name!!!).  We do, we have discovered, have to keep an eye on her.  She seems to be programmed to avoid motorways - and in the UK we use them a lot!  We are assuming that, when we download the manual, and read it through, we will be able to make the necessary changes!

The first thing that I am asked, when I have switched the power on is my destination. That seems, to me, to be an eminently sensible request.  A SatNav, or a map, is useless unless you first know where you are, and then, where you're going.  Okay, so the SatNav is a wee bit cleverer, and quickly informs me as to my current location!  

Life is often likened to a journey.  Sadly, it would appear, many people don't know where they are, or where they're going!  They're just drifting through life on the river of routine; wasting their lives on that which is, ultimately, worthless; existing, rather than enjoying a life that is positively full.  However, there is one thing that is certain, and that is  that we are, each o us, going to go somewhere in the end - even if we just casually canter along life's pathway.  It begs the questions: "Where are you going; and how will you get there?"

The message of the Christian Gospel (the Good News) is, of course, that Almighty God, the Creator and Sustainer of all that is, has a plan for each one of us.  His desire is that every individual spend eternity (and that is not endless time, but timelessness!) in His presence in that dimension that we usually refer to as 'heaven'.  However, He loves us so much that He has given us the freedom to choose our own destiny - to be with Him, or to be without Him.  That's a choice that we must make in this life - it's too late to make it after that experience that we call physical death.

Wherever you are on life's journey, I would encourage you to consider Jesus (God the Son) and the life He offers you - life "... in all its fulness" (John 10:10; NEB).  If you come to Him, confessing your own sinfulness, He has promised that He will forgive you, and take loving control of your life - giving you a brand new start along life's road.

You will then be on a journey that has a purpose, and that will last for eternity.  Now that's Good News!

The importance of Hope.

According to news reports in recent days, a number of the relatives of the trapped Chilean miners have established a makeshift camp near to the head of the mineshaft. They have named it "Camp Hope".

Most, if not all, of those who are likely to read this post will be familiar with the old adage "Where there's life, there's hope." However, I can recall many instances in which it has also been shown that "Where there's hope, there's life."!

Of course, I'm not referring to hope as the sort of unfounded assertion of Charles Dickens' character, Mr Micawber, that "something will turn up"! I'm thinking of the hope that is described throughout the written Word of God - the Bible. This is a good hope; a God-based hope; a positively expectant outlook on future time - yes, and even beyond!

Hope was the very life of Israel. Jeremiah speaks of YHWH as being "... the hope of Israel" (17:13); and Joel says that YHWH is "... a hope (refuge) to His people" (3:16). The Psalms, too, are full of such references. "And so, Lord, where do I put my hope? My only hope is in You." (39:7) Towards the end of the Psalter, another of the psalmists declares "... happy is he whose help is the God of Jacob; whose hope is in YHWH, his God." (146:5). Even in that most mournful of books, the Lamentations of Jeremiah, the prophet is able to burst out: "I say to myself, 'YHWH is my inheritance; therefore I will hope in Him'." (3:24)

Then when we move into the the pages of the New Testament, we find the belief that the ancient prophecies have been fulfilled; that the promised Kingdom is at hand; the promised Messiah has come in the Person of Jesus of Nazareth. The world into which He was born was, in many ways, a world not unlike our own - an age in which, for many, hope had faded, and faith had benn lost. But the N.T. writers show that, in that same Jesus, hope has been restored and renewed.(see Acts 26:6)

Paul, on trial before the High Council of the Jewish people, cries out: "... I am on trial because my hope is in the resurrection of the dead!" (Acts 23:6) Writing to the infant church in the great metropolis of Rome, he assures them that "... endurance develops strength of character, and character strengthens our confident hope of salvation. And this hope will not lead to disappointment. For we know how dearly God loves us, because he has given us the Holy Spirit to fill our hearts with his love." (5:4-5; NLT). Towards the end of that same letter, he prays "... that God, the source of hope , will fill you completely with joy and peace because you trust in him. Then you will overflow with confident hope through the power of the Holy Spirit." (15:13).

The writer of the Letter to Hebrew disciples of Jesus is certain that "... Christ, as the Son, is in charge of God's entire house. And we are God's house, if we keep our courage and remain confident in our hope in Christ." (3:6); while Peter, in his first pastoral letter, encourages his readers (now, as well as then!), in a situation of persecution: "... even if you suffer for doing what is right, God will reward you for it. So don't worry or be afraid of their threats. Instead, you must worship Christ as Lord of your life. And if someone asks about your Christian hope, always be ready to explain it." (3:14-15).

Yes, while there is life, there is hope. But without hope, a situation can become unbearable. Just be sure that your hope is placed in the One Who is the Hope of the world, even the Lord Jesus Christ.